The Mittani: You've mentioned a desire for more sandbox MMOs in your Reddit AMA, and sandboxes are obviously a major draw for Eve players. Do you have plans for adding sandbox elements to PS2, and if so, would you like to discuss them? If there really is an untapped market for sandbox MMOs, why haven't we seen more of them, besides Eve and SWG?

John Smedley: Sandbox elements - SOE is redefining itself as a creator of emergent gameplay experiences. That's our future. You can call it sandbox but it's so much more than that. A good example is Player owned bases in Planetside 2. That's coming. We're going to make huge continents that are empty and have vast resources on them and players can fight it out and put down their own bases there and other players can come and obliterate them. Sound familiar Eve Players? Actually we had something like this in Star Wars Galaxies too. THAT is content. At some point as an industry we need to realize that we have already lost the race to outpace players in making content. I personally thought SWTOR was a great game. I loved Diablo III. The problem is you get to the endgame and as game makers it's not just expensive. it's impossible to stay ahead of the curve.

Think about this statement - If WoW had come out yesterday.. at what point would people be "done" with the content. We need to focus on game systems that are perpetual and give players a lot more control over what they can do rather than JUST putting yet another dragon in front of them with scripted content. We need to be doing both in order to be successful. And that's our plan.

So hey Cryptic, let's get some more of those "game systems that are perpetual" and aren't "JUST putting yet another dragon in front of them with scripted content."

I hate pvp. Any system that had capture zones as the only content would bore me to death. I'd think even pvp players would get tired of shooting each other month after month for the same patch of ground too.

I hate pvp. Any system that had capture zones as the only content would bore me to death. I'd think even pvp players would get tired of shooting each other month after month for the same patch of ground too.

PvE can certainly have an ongoing system driven setup as well. Don't immediatley jump to the conclusion that open gameplay unequivocally means PvP driven.

I hate pvp. Any system that had capture zones as the only content would bore me to death. I'd think even pvp players would get tired of shooting each other month after month for the same patch of ground too.

Did't play PlanetSide then did you, a lot of us spent years arguing over the same patches of ground and PS2 will basicly be the same.

Over 10 years since PlanetSide 1 and there are still people playing it, granted not as many as the first 3 years but enough to draw a decent fight, for the same patches of ground.

Too bad that Mr. Smedley could not have assumed such a passionate position in time to see to it that SWG could have been spared its fate. They would not take SWG free to play, but EA can take TOR Free to play not even a full year out of the gate?

Of course, I think that was more Lucas Arts' call than SOE's. Just like the NGE was Lucas Arts' call though it was developed by SOE.

Too bad that Mr. Smedley could not have assumed such a passionate position in time to see to it that SWG could have been spared its fate. They would not take SWG free to play, but EA can take TOR Free to play not even a full year out of the gate?

Of course, I think that was more Lucas Arts' call than SOE's. Just like the NGE was Lucas Arts' call though it was developed by SOE.

It did not matter, it was LA's call to not renew SOE's contract for SWG. That, and LA/EA wanted all their focus on SWTOR. At the time of the closure there was nothing SOE could have done. That is the perils of not owning the IP, contracts can go unrenewed. I know for a fact and personally the people at SOE affiliated with SWG were devastated at the news. But they pushed on and kept developing until the end. They finally cracked atmospheric flight and combat and gave the game one heck of a send off.